Toy electrical road vehicle



Nov. 8, 1932. v. c. KLINE 1,886,484

TOY ELECTRICAL ROAD VEHICLE Filed May 31, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR v. c. KLINE 1,886,484

TOY ELECTRICAL ROAD VEHICLE Nov. 8, 1932.

Filed May 31. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 9 aw, Q T

INVENTOR Patented Nov. 8, 1932 warren STATES VIRGIL G. KLINE, F FLORAL PARK, YORK TOY ELECTRICAL ROAD VEHICLE Application filed May 31, 1930. Serial No. 458,821.

This invention relates to a new toy electrical road vehicle and roadway.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a device of this character for entertaining children and so constructed that it may be operated with minimum of noise and confusion and without liability of danger to the child.

The above and other objects will appear more fully from the following description when considered in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side. elevational view of the road vehicle and track.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form which the track may assume.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional vew of the roadway illustrating the position of the vehicle thereon. I

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken at rightangles to Fig. 3 and illustrating the controlling switch of the vehicle.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the vehicle supported upon the track and illustrating the manner of connectin the sections of the track.

-b 0 n I Flgs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the swltch.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of the steering and power supplying trolley.

F i 9 1s an enlar ed fra mentar plan B C b a.

' View, parts being in section, illustrating the switching devices which may be employed.

Referring to the drawings, the rubber-tired vehicle 10 is arranged to be supported upon an imitation roadway 12 on which it is guided and from which it receives electrical cur rent for propelling the vehicle.

The vehicle is provided with an electric motor 14 having one terminal thereof grounded on the frame and the other terminal extended to the switch member 16. A conducting member 17 preferably operated by the knurled nut 19 and its supporting rod 19a, engages with the spring switch members 16 and 18 so as to make or break the circuit across the same, the members 16 and 18 cap. The switch blade 18 is connected by 50 means of a suitable conductor 22 to the vehicle steering lever 24 which carries the conducting and steering trolley 26 at its forward end. Lever 24 is supported by means of the pin or bolt 28 suitably insulated from the frame of the vehicle. The steering wheel 26 is formed of fabric or other non-conducting material and includes a conducting ring 33, the outer surface thereof being connected by a conducting member 29 to the axle 30 of the wheel, this axle being supported upon a yoke 31 formed at the forward end. of the steering bar 24. The frame of the vehicle 10 is grounded to'the track 12 by means of the conducting spring 32 which may be supported upon any metallic part of the vehicle frame as for example, the front axle.

The bar 24 is insulated from the vehicle frame by means of insulation washers 34. A suitable insulation band of rubber or similar material is attached on the bar 24 in order to prevent electrical contact between bar 24 and the forward vehicle axle. i

The front wheels 36 of the Vehicle are arranged to turn for steering the vehicle. They are preferably mounted upon stub axles 37 connected by links 38 to an insulating plate 40 carried by the bar 24.

The track 12 mayobviously be of any desired shape, preferably to provide different paths of movement for the vehicle,one form of track which may be employed being illustrated in Figure 2.

The track 12 is formed in sections 12a, 12?), etc. which include outer edges 42 adapted to be supportedupon the floor of'a room, the central portion of the track being arched as at 44 and provided with a central depression 45 which receives the conductor 46 placed therein and insulated from the track 12 as by means of the insulation strip 47. As shown the conductor 46 is mounted at the bottom of the depressed portion 45; the upper edges of the portion 45 being only slighty wider than the wheel 26 to form a guide for the latter.

The sections of track 12 may be. attached in any suit-able. manner. As shown each section is formed with a spring tongue 48 which passes through a slot 49 of the adjacent section so that the shoulder 48a. bearing against be employed to hold the fingers 52 in their set positions as shown. Current may be supplied from a suitable source of currentsupply shown as thebattery 64 and a conductor 765-havinga terminal clamp 66 attached to the "conductor 46 and a second conductor 67 attached' to the roadway 12 as shown at 68.

The connection from the motor l ttothe reardriving'wheels 58 is shown as comprising a driving belt 60 and fabric or other- I gears 62 which further serve to decrease the noise of the vehicle in operation. 7

The electric road vehicle constructed as "shown and described herein may be operated by a child without danger and with a'minimum ot'noise and confusion.

, Having now described my invention I "claim:

" 1. A toy electric vehicle and track comprisin'its central portion, an electric conducting member supported within said depression,

"an electrically propelled vehicle, steeringdevices therefor including a vehicle guiding trolley normally situated in said depression and in contact with said conducting member, said trolley being removable from said depression at any point along. the same.

2.'-A toy "electric vehicle and track comprising an arched metallic roadway formed with a central depressed portion, an electric "conducting member supported within said depression and insulated fromsaid metalllc roadway, an electrically propelled vehicle,

"VPIBSSIOII and in contact with said conducting steering devices therefor including a vehicle guiding trolley normally situated in said demember,a source of current'supply connected "at its opposite poles with said conducting member and with said roadway, a contact plate of greater width than said depression carried by saidvehicle and normally engaged with said roadway for conduct-ing electric current from SillClVGhlClB to said roadway,

. an electric motor for propelling saidvehicle,

and meansfor conducting electric current from said trolleyand contact member to said motor.

V 3. In a toy'electric vehicle, a metallic road-- way formed with a depressed portion, an electrioconducting wire positioned in said depressed portion beneath the adjacent surlng an arched roadway having relatively 'thinside edgesand formed with a depression by the material of said roadway, an electrically propelled vehicle provided with steering devices including a guiding trolley traveling in said depressed portion of said roadway. and in contact with said conducting member, an electric motor for said vehicle and means for con'nectingsaid trolley electrically with said motor.

4. In a toy electric vehicle, a metallic roadway formed with a depressed portion, an electric conducting member positioned in said depressed portion beneath the adjacent surface of said roadway, an electrically propolled vehicle provided with steering devices including a guidin trolley traveling in said depressed portion of said roadway and in contact with said conducting member, said trolley being formed with sid'e surfaces of insulating material and an edge engagement portion of conducting material, an electric motor for said vehicleand means for connecting said trolley electrically with said motor.

5. In an electric toy, a road vehicle, steer- "ing devices torsaid vehicle, a roadway for said vehicle formed of a sheet metal stampmg and having relatively thin edges and a raised central portion, said raised central por- -tion containing a longitudinal depression, a

current conducting wire mounted in said depression and clamped in position therein but insulated from the material of said roadway,

said depression constituting vehicle guiding means, said steering devices including a guidinglever on said vehicle coacting with said roadway guiding means and separable therefrom for causingsaid vehicle to follow said roadway, and means for conducting electric current from said wire to said vehicle.

I 6. In an electric toy, a road vehicle, steering devices torsaid vehicle, a roadway for said vehicle formed with vehicle guiding means having (divergent paths of travel for said vehicle and switching devices carried by said roadway comprising a: switching lever and means for causing the .same to obstruct or open difierent paths along said "vehicle guiding means, said steerlng. devlces including a guiding lever on said vehicle coacting withsaid roadway guiding'means and separable therefromfor causing said vehicle to follow saidro-adway, and means for conductin electric current to said vehicle.

I. A roadway for a toy electric vehicle comprisinganarched metallic body portion, a

depression formed therein and wider at the lower portion thereof than where'the same is open adjacent the exposed surface of said roadway, an electric conducting member supported by the material of said roadway against re'moval, within the wider portion of said depression, and means for insulating said conducting member from said body portion. face ofsaid roadway'an'd clamped in position 8. In a toy electric roadvehicle, an electric motor for propelling said vehicle, a switch for controlling said motor and means simulating a radiator cap for said vehicle and connected with said switch for actuating the same.

9. In combination, a toy electric road vehicle, a motor for propelling the same, a roadway formed with an arched central portion constituting a guiding means for said vehicle and means supported within said arched roadway for supplying electric current to said motor.

10. In an electric toy, a road vehicle, steering devices for said vehicle, a roadway for said vehicle formed with vehicle guiding means having divergent paths of travel for said vehicle and switching devices carried by said roadway comprising a switching lever and means for causing the same. to obstruct or open difierent paths along said vehicle guiding means, said steering devices including guiding lever on said vehicle coacting with said roadway guiding means and separable therefrom for causing said vehicle to follow said roadway, means for conducting electric current to said vehicle and means for yieldingly retaining said switching lever in the diii'erent operative positions to which it is moved.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day of May, A. D. 1930.

VIRGIL C. KLINE. 

